December Walking Tour – The Subtle Winter Offerings of Shrubs
The ever-present nature of shrubs plays an important role in creating habitat for wildlife. Their multiple persistent trunks allow them to maintain a year-round presence, even when other plants have
Sending Specimens Away: How Sharing Supports Global Biodiversity Research
Natural history collections have served as libraries of our world’s biodiversity for centuries. These libraries—holding plants, fungi and insects—are known as herbaria. There are over 3,565 herbaria
Plant Records: More than Inventory
I was lucky enough to grow up in Colorful Colorado, where spending time outdoors was the daily norm. Apart from the pansies on my front porch, the tomatoes in my backyard and the cottonwood trees I
The World of Waterlily Hybridization
I was lucky to grow up in a family who had a fondness for art and nature. Frequent trips to various museums, zoos and to Denver Botanic Gardens helped me grow this affection myself –especially when
Understanding and Conserving Genetic Diversity in Native Plant Restoration
Last month I had the pleasure of moderating a symposium at the Society for Ecological Restoration North American Conference in Vancouver, Canada. The theme of the conference was Cross-Biome
Making the Most of Rain and Snow
Directing the flow of water isn’t a new idea. Humans have been changing the flow of water for thousands of years for our benefit, and oftentimes to our failure. Water is never truly wasted though, it
Naughty or Nice? Monitoring the Gardens’ Watch List Species
It can be easy to think of a garden as separate from its surrounding environment. After all, the plants in a garden are predominately selected, grown and managed by human hands, a far cry from the
Where East Meets West: Native Trees and Japanese Techniques
Three Google searches. That is all it took. Next thing I know, I am driving three days to get to Denver to spend my summer working as the Bonsai and Shofu-en Japanese Garden Intern. My internship at
November Walking Tour – Mono no Aware: Appreciating Transience in Shofu-en
As we move from October to November, we see the end of many of our visitors’ favorite time of year at the Gardens. With fall color fading and Halloween displays ending, we see gardens and gardeners
Rocky Mountain Gardening Certificate Core Series
Have you heard about the Rocky Mountain Gardening Certificate Core Series? This is a comprehensive study of specific gardening practices for our unique Front Range region offered by the Gardens
Celebrate Night at the Museums
November —the weather gets colder, the days shorter, leaves fall and plants go dormant. You may think this is a time when botanic gardens slow down for the season, but did you know there is so much
Cultivating Crops and Curiosity at the Community Garden
In the foothills of Colorado where I live, growing a vegetable garden with the intent of eating any of the harvest for yourself would make you an optimist. That is unless you had installed a sturdy